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variola

American  
[vuh-rahy-uh-luh] / vəˈraɪ ə lə /

noun

Pathology.
  1. smallpox.


variola British  
/ vəˈraɪələ /

noun

  1. the technical name for smallpox

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

variola Scientific  
/ və-rīə-lə,vâr′ē-ōlə /
  1. See smallpox


Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of variola

1795–1805; < Medieval Latin, equivalent to Latin vari ( us ) speckled ( see various) + -ola -ole 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The smallpox vaccine was invented some 180 years before the disease was eradicated, but in that time, the variola virus that causes smallpox—a relative of the monkeypox virus—never evolved to resist the jab, Lefkowitz says.

From Scientific American Oct. 13, 2022

The sequenced viruses weren’t direct ancestors of the feared variola strain that was eradicated in the second half of the 20th century.

From Science Magazine Sep. 15, 2022

Smallpox is a human virus transmitted by inhalation of the variola virus, localized in the skin, mouth, and throat, which causes a characteristic rash.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

The variola virus, which causes smallpox, is the only disease to have been eradicated by human medicine.

From Salon Jun. 1, 2022

However ill-defined the limits between these classes may be, the symptoms of hemorrhagic variola are sufficiently characteristic to require separate description.

From A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I Volume 1: Pathology and General Diseases by Various

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